Loads carried in trailers and cargo containers must be secured in place relative thereto to prevent or minimize movement of the loads relative to the containers. This is obviously necessary to eliminate damage to the loads that could be caused by repeated shifting and resulting collisions of the loads with adjacent loads, or by banging against walls. With the advent of substantially all-metal trailers and cargo containers, it is necessary to provide load anchors that can be positively and securely located in position without necessitating the use of nails, or other fasteners. Such conventional fasteners performed effectively to anchor straps that were used to retain loads in position in conventional freight cars, since they could be driven into the wooden studs spaced along the sidewalls of such conventional freight cars provided with same. In the case of metal containers, where wooden supports are not present, anchors employing nails, or the like, cannot be used, thus requiring load anchors that can be inserted and secured in position relative to the support tracks welded to the car walls without requiring separate fasteners to retain them in place.
In conventional freight cars having wooden supports, anchor and snubber plates have been used to secure the straps employed for holding the loads in position in the car. The plates are secured to the floor, or sidewalls of the car by nails, or other suitable fastening means. Several types of these are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,920,195 to Scales, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,458,287 to Moon. Another type of strap connector that has been used is a cushion-type seal, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,334 to Meier. All of these patents are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. These patents discuss in some detail the problems encountered in carrying loads that tend to shift in freight cars which is similar to that of trailers and cargo containers, and if more specific information with respect thereto is desired, reference should be made to these three patents.
It can be appreciated that the aforementioned types of connectors cannot be used in metal cars lacking wooden supports, since there is no structure in the car to which the connector can be connected. Currently, in order to retain the loads against shifting in metal trailers and cargo containers, webbed belting has been used to secure the commodities. The belting and securement fasteners disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,608,159 to Brucker and 3,323,186 to Rennert are relatively expensive when compared to the low cost disposable strapping and load anchors of this invention. The fastener disclosed in the Rennert patent requires a spring-loaded latch, and the fastener in the Brucker patent requires a wire keeper member which coacts with a notch within a notch, with the outer notch having an inclined inner surface so that the wire keeper member will slide into the inner notch and form a part of the outer notch wall.
The present invention, on the other hand, provides a relatively simple and inexpensive load anchoring means which obviates the drawbacks of the aforesaid prior art devices.